If I Were Your King
by EveningInHornersCorners
Summary: The castaways have been rescued, but two of them are having a hard time getting along without one another. Will they be able to come together alone, or will someone (or something) help them?
1. Chapter 1

_**Note: For the purposes of this story, it's 1969, the reunion movies don't exist, and our castaways have just been rescued. Thanks for your cooperation.**_

As the boat swayed gently, the Roy Hinkley thought, _It still seems impossible that we're being rescued. Why it feels like only yesterday we were stranded. _

He looked down at the chessboard and then at his companion. Mary Ann was grinning devilishly.

"Stalemate. You're getting good, Mary Ann."

He was truly amazed at how quickly she'd picked up the art of chess. He'd been trying to perfect his strategy since eighth grade.

"Again?" she asked cordially.

"No, Hawaii's already in sight. But there is something I'd like to give you."

With that he pulled out a small silver pendent on a chain adorned with a picture of a crown.

"For the queen of chess."

"Oh Professor! I'll treasure it forever." she cried as he fastened it around her neck.

"Is everything alright over here?" Mr. Howell boomed as he strutted into the alcove where they'd been playing chess.

"Oh, we're just cleaning up our chess game, Mr. Howell." the scientist said hurriedly as he gathered up his pawns.

"Lovey told me there was something suspicious was going on over here. She must have been mistaken." the older man commented before he sauntered away from the scene.

As soon as the millionaire was out of earshot, the two burst out laughing.

"Mrs. Howell _would_ think that playing chess without a chaperone is suspicious!" Mary Ann snickered.

Silence reigned for a few moments while they cleaned up the chess pieces.

Suddenly the Professor inquired, "What are your plans, Mary Ann?"

Without looking up she replied, "Mr. Howell said he'd pay for me to take the first plane back to Chicago and then a train to Kansas."

"Oh…" he said softly, not so much to her as to himself. The boat had already docked. There must be a final gesture he could offer. "May I help you with your luggage?"

"No, I can handle it. But Professor…" she said wistfully, putting her hand over the pendent. "Thank you." 


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning the other six castaways saw Mary Ann off. Each one's goodbye towards Mary Ann was special. Gilligan's was a shy peck on the cheek. The Howells showered her with $50 bills. The Skipper gave her a fatherly hug, and Ginger shed those tears that only a sister is truly capable of.

The Professor gave her a collection of Shakespeare sonnets to read on the ride, but their true goodbye had been that morning over their final game of chess. Somehow she'd managed to beat him, and they'd had some good laughs over it.

They each sent her off with their address (or in the Howells' case, _addresses_) so she could write. She gladly reciprocated this.

There was a certain tension in the air as they left the airport. It was as though the seven of them were one body, and they'd just lost a vital part of it. The heart, maybe. But it wasn't as though they wouldn't all drift apart.

The Howells would be jetting off to Paris, the Skipper and Gilligan would go back to repairing boats (they had decided not to host any "three hour tours" or even go out on the water unnecessarily for at least six months), and Ginger (if she could get through the thicket of reporters and photographers that were already surrounding her) would return to her beloved Hollywood, while the Professor was bound for good old Cleveland.

After a very long, silent ride, they were finally outside the exceedingly expensive hotel that the Howells had insisted upon putting them up in. Climbing out of the taxi while the Howells hassled with the driver, Roy noticed something shiny on the sidewalk nearby. Thinking it was a dime (and always eager to have extra payphone money) he walked over and stooped to pick it up.

But it was not a dime.

It was Mary Ann's chess pendant.


	3. Chapter 3

Mary Ann glanced at her watch, amazed by how swiftly the past hour and a half had gone by. It seemed that only a moment ago she had finished saying goodbye to her friends.

She had to admit, the kiss Gilligan had given her had been lovely. But it wasn't the kiss of a possible suitor. It was more like the kiss of a younger sibling.

The take-off had been a little nerve-racking, but otherwise nothing extraordinary happened. Had it not been for the book of sonnets the Professor had given her she would have been bored out of her wits, and though she was grateful for it, she itched to get her hands on a chessboard, the Professor opposite to her. Ever since he'd taught her how to play - just six months ago- he offered a tough game, many times forgetting that she was a beginner. Not wanting to seem rude, she never reminded him, and because of this she learned fast.

But she enjoyed the challenge, not to mention that in between moves they sometimes talked, and he was a fascinating conversationalist. She truthfully felt like she'd learned more while she was playing chess with that man than she had in her entire K-12 education.

_Well, at least I have that pendant he gave me as a reminder of those grand times. _

Mary Ann felt around her neck for the trinket.

But it wasn't there.


	4. Chapter 4

The metal's coolness had long worn off as the Professor clutched the pendant in his hand. He was grateful that Mr. Howell had gotten the best rooms in the hotel for all of them because he didn't have to turn as often when he paced. But this was one of those times when he forgot everything but the problem at hand. His pacing merely became a subconscious action.

_She didn't intentionally drop it. I hope. What if… _

_No. _

_Just no. She wouldn't be that cruel. Or would she?_

But whether or not it was dropped intentionally paled in comparison to his other problem: getting it back to her. He'd already decided against mailing because it posed too many risks. But it would hardly seem fitting for him to just pop in at the address she'd given him and say, "Oh, you dropped this back in Hawaii." Especially if she'd dropped it on purpose and sincerely didn't want it.

_I'd hate to offend her. I may as well just keep it and forget her. She'll forget me quickly enough. I'm sure she and Gilligan will make a cute couple though. _


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm not going to cry. I just won't. It was only a pendant. _

Even as Mary Ann thought this, a tear trickled down her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it away. She didn't care how naïve she was being. It reminded her of something that happened when she was only about eight. Something she'd hadn't thought of in a long, long time…

_**Flashback**_:

It had all started at a barn dance. While the adults and teenagers danced and talked, the younger children were entertained by anyone willing to volunteer. The children always loved a man known to them only as Mr. Bardot because he always had them play games with prizes.

On one of these occasions, a boy maybe three older than her named Robert Smith had played one of these games and won. When he got his choice of prizes, he chose a dime store ring with a red stone and presented it grandly to her.

She'd treasured that ring from the moment he'd given it to her. And when she'd lost it a few days later, she had cried for days on end.

_No. The pendant was worth nothing more than that ring. I'll get over it._

But Mary Ann didn't think she would. It _had _been worth something.

But what?


	6. Chapter 6

After the Professor had reached his decision not to return the pendant to her, he immediately began to pack.

So here he was, back in his hotel room, neatly placing his bamboo chessboard on top of everything else. Wouldn't his family be interested in his one non-plant specimen from the island?

_I only wish that I had something to show that it was all worth it. Something besides plants…_

###

_**Meanwhile, across the hall…**_

"Gilligan, I need you to help me." Ginger said calmly into the phone.

"_I can't. I'm too dumb! Everyone says so!"_

"Gilligan!" No one _ever _refused Ginger Grant. It simply wasn't done.

"_Gilligan, who's that you're talking to?" _Ginger heard the Skipper yell in the background.

"_It's just Ginger, and she wants…"_

"Gilligan! Just help me!"

"_But Ginger, I already told you…"_

"_Let me have that phone!" _the Skipper exclaimed.

"_But Skipper…"_

"_No buts, Gilligan! Now give me that phone!"_

_Oh boy. _Ginger thought. _Now I'm going to get the sweet nothings bit from the Skipper…_

"_Hello? Ginger? Is there anything I can do for you?"_

"Yes. Give Gilligan back the phone. I need him."

"_Are you sure it isn't something I could do?"_

"No, I need Gilligan. Please, let him have the phone back."

"_Oh, all right." _The Skipper was clearly disappointed.

"Hello, Gilligan? Here's what I need you for…Oh sorry Skipper. Hello? Gilligan, come over to my room right now."

"_But Ginger…"_

"_It's just going to go back to _that _again?" _the Skipper muttered in the background.

"Gilligan, I need to hang up. Just come over to my room. And no buts."

###

The Professor knocked on the door of the suite the Howells were staying in.

"Who is it?" Mr. Howell called suspiciously.

"The Professor, Mr. Howell."

"What do you require, old boy?" the millionaire asked grandly as he opened the door.

"Would it be possible for me to borrow enough money for a plane ticket to Cleveland?"

"Borrow? Old chap, I'll _give _you the money."

"Thank you Mr. Howell but that really won't be necessary…"

"Oh but it is Professor. What's the point in being stranded on an island with someone for four years if you can't help them out every once in a while. Even though you're not a Republican, you're better than any Yale man."

Though for no apparent reason, his pride was hurt, he knew it would be rude to refuse any further. He was a little numb when Mr. Howell forked over the money, more money than he'd ever need. But Mr. Howell told him brusquely to "keep the change". The door closed. Now there was nothing to stop him from going.

###

Ginger was not prone to pacing, but when she had called Gilligan _fifteen_ minutes ago and he _still_ hadn't arrived, she couldn't contain it any longer. Her shoes didn't click against the carpet as she would have liked, but at the current time she wasn't concentrating on that so much as her plot.

_The Howells will supply the money, if I can bring them around. That has to be my first course of action. _

Ginger heard someone knocking on her door. She quickly went to answer it.

"Sorry Ginger. I got lost." Gilligan apologized as she opened her door.

"That's okay Gilligan. At least you're here. Like I said, I need your help." She waited for him to say, "But Ginger…" Strangely, it didn't happen.

"I need you to pretend that you're my fiancé."

"Your what?"

"Fiancé. I need you to pretend we're going to get married."

"Me, pretend that we're gonna get married? _Oh_ no…" Gilligan was getting exceedingly uncomfortable already.

"Gilligan, think of it! You'll be able to say you acted with the great Ginger Grant." Ginger threw her arms dramatically into the air.

"But Ginger…"

"I said no buts. Please Gilligan. It'll be fun. You'll get to wear a fake mustache and fancy clothes and you can choose your own name…"

"But I already have a name. Gilligan."

"I know. But we'll be pretending that we're different people."

"Why?"

"Oh Gilligan. Don't you see? The Professor and Mary Ann are perfect for each other! But they're too shy to realize it. We have to bring them together ourselves!"

"But why do we have to pretend we're different people?"

"So they won't recognize us!"

"But…"

"No buts!"

"Why me? Couldn't you get Cary Grant or someone?"

"No. Please Gilligan. You _are_ going to help me, aren't you?" She batted her eyelashes just the slightest bit, but he was oblivious to them.

"Oh Gilligan!" she cried, her voice edged with drama. "You're going to make me cry!"

"Oh Ginger, please don't cry! I'll do it! Just don't cry!"

Ginger smiled seductively. "Thank you, Gilligan."


End file.
